Crossing the Bridge
by reen212000
Summary: Tag for Brain Storm. What happened in the alternate reality?


_Autumn_

_Second Ice Age_

_Atlantica_

First Scientist Mer McKay had a problem. His planet was dying a slow, freezing death. No amount of knowledge from the Old Ones was going to help him this time. The Arctic Realm on Terra had lower temperatures, but in the next year, Atlantica would be the same.

He sat in his favorite lab, staring out the window at the ice crystals forming on a lower tower. Today promised to be colder than yesterday; it was getting closer to winter. Checking his watch, Mer waited for his friend to find him and start pestering him.

Defense Commander John Sheppard entered on cue, hands clasped behind his back. "Rodney. Any progress?"

McKay rolled his eyes. "You know I hate that name." Crossing his arms, he turned to face Sheppard. "Look, you and I both know this issue won't be resolved. If it could, Terra would've been saved long ago."

Sheppard nodded sagely. "I realize that, McKay, but I have to tell Administrator Weir something."

"Yes, yes. And in turn, she has to tell something to the GA. I know, I know." Checking his watch again, Mer glanced at John. "Isn't it past your lunchtime?"

The commander rubbed a hand over his short hair. "I was waiting for you for almost an hour."

"What? Why?" Waving a dismissive hand, Mer grabbed his friend's arm. "Come on. If Carson finds out you haven't eaten, he'll come after me."

"No he wouldn't. There's nothing wrong with me."

McKay wanted to slug the militia leader on his pointy chin. "Whatever. You know you haven't been the same since –"

"Don't say it!"

Mer raised a hand to calm John. "You're going to have to stop with the denial thing. That Larrin person hurt you, let someone experiment on you, and now you've got a glucose problem. Carson said it would dissipate over period of time. Not that you ever had much of an appetite anyway –"

"Hey!"

"I'm just saying." The scientist steered John out of the lab. "Let's eat. I'll tell you all about my plan to save a frozen planet."

oOo

"No, no, no. And did I mention… no?" John pushed away his plate, curling his hands around his coffee mug. "That was a bad idea the first time."

McKay nodded thoughtfully. "True, but this time, the risk won't be there. The exotic particles won't be a problem."

John snorted. "Won't be a problem?"

"Yes! Well, I'm not saying there won't be… hiccups, shall we say? But I am positive I can work around this."

John stared at his half-eaten sandwich. The repercussions were so high. "I don't –"

"_Scientist McKay to Lab 12 immediately. Repeat, First Scientist McKay to Lab 12!"_

Both scientist and commander left the commissary at a dead run.

oOo

Lab 12 was sealed nearly a year ago, after the matter bridge project proved unsuccessful. It did what it was supposed to do, but now the entire planet was in danger because of it. Then, a year ago, it activated for a short time, then stopped. The lab was sealed so that no overly ambitious scientist –namely McKay – would get any ideas.

"Rodney? What's going on?"

"Not now, Jeannie." Mer ran to the closed doors of Lab 12. "Sheppard! I need this door open!"

John lay his hand against the door, whispering forgotten words to the Old City. Closing his eyes, he waited for the dizziness to subside before following his friends inside.

A blast of warm air caressed his face as he entered the lab. "Mer?" John gazed around the room. There was a blast path near the containment field, but it seemed older than the new one.

"The matter bridge! It's active! How?" Jeannie's blue eyes were wide with disbelief, matching he brother's expression.

Mer shook his head slowly. "This is bad on so many levels. The Galaxy Alliance is gonna have a field day with this one, and I'm gonna be the main course. How is this happening?"

"Well, find out Meredith! We can't have this go wrong like last time." John said urgently. His radio chirped.

"Commander Sheppard? Report."

"Sorry, Administrator. We only know the matter bridge was activated from an outside source. McKay is here working on the situation."

McKay's fingers flew over controls; his sister joined him on another console. "It won't shut down."

"There's a geothermal reading coming through now," Jeannie said as she brought up a HUD. "It looks like –"

"Yes," Mer murmured. "They're funneling atmospheric heat from their reality to ours."

"Which makes me think they're having the opposite problem."

"Yeah, I –"

"Anyone want to fill me in?" Sheppard asked, walking around the consoles.

"Basically, Commander, it's possible when they tried this the first time, Atlantica became what it is today."

John raised a brow. "You mean to tell me they activated the same time you did, and caused the second ice age? Mer, that's…" Snapping his fingers, John turned over a whiteboard and began writing.

"Rodney! The temperature has risen ten degrees throughout the city!"

"Unbelievable. Judging by the scorches around the chamber, I'd say this isn't the first time it's been active."

John pointed at his scribbling on the whiteboard. "Mer, we gotta keep this open, at least for a little while."

McKay examined Sheppard's theory. "Interesting, Commander. But how do you propose we maintain this power? Even with our three ZedPMs, I don't see how we can keep this up without repercussions to the alternate reality."

Shrugging, John handed the scientist the marker. "Hey, they started it."

"If I had known you were going to be this juvenile, I would've never let you date my sister."

"Guys," Jeannie said, pointing to the middle equation. "I know this sounds crazy, but I think John's right."

Mer rolled his eyes. "Of course you would side with –" He studied the equation too, batting his sister's hand away. "How did you do this?" The commander was frighteningly smart sometimes, and Mer felt a bit threatened. He knew there was no cause, and John would much rather fly the gateships than be cooped up in a lab all day.

"It's the only thing that came to mind. I know it's not a solution; that's what you guys are for."

"But it is a start, John. Thank you!" Jeannie threw her arms around his neck, giving a kiss on the cheek. "Show me where we can help complete this."

Three more boards were wheeled around in a half circle. Mer knew John's string of equations were basically notes; they needed to expand them. He watched the commander's thin fingers point to groups of numbers, and his sister smile at John's low-level of genius.

An irritated sound came from the direction of the entrance. Administrator ElizabethWeir stood there like a coiled spring, hands clasped tightly behind her back. "Why is it warm in here? Didn't we discuss the waste of heat in unnecessary areas?"

Mer stepped forward. "Yes, Administrator. The heat you're feeling is being transferred over the space/time matter bridge."

Weir raised an indignant brow. "That project was closed, Scientist. If you've opened it again –"

"No! Nonono. It was activated from the other side. Somewhere where the planet is suffering from rising levels of geothermal activity or atmospheric changes, like the Atrium Effect on Terra."

Jeannie stepped forward, wringing her hands. John wasn't supposed to be here; she hoped the woman wouldn't notice an extra set of boots beneath the clutter of tables and whiteboards. "I think there's a way to sustain it to keep Atlantica from freezing."

"I'm listening," Weir said with a hint of warning. The scientists were boring and arrogant, but if they could end this unbearable cold, she would try to pay attention. No amount of bed-partners and space heaters would keep her warm for long. She needed a solution, and quickly. Sitting on a stool, she folded her hands in her lap.

McKay swung around a whiteboard, and began making a diagram. He explained the matter bridge again, but this time there was a difference. It was almost the reverse of what they had done before. "If we can sustain power, we can channel into our own geothermal containment unit. Essentially, we are going to attempt to heat all of the Old City and recycle the energy to keep it heated."

Even Weir knew that was a feat. "How is that possible?"

"We can use the field generated by the other reality. Instead of a transfer of matter, we're merely using the energy from their transfer. This way, it won't build up and collapse suddenly." Jeannie pointed ineffectually towards the diagram.

Rising from her perch, the administrator motioned to her ever present personal guard. "Find your commander. I'm sure he's sulking in a gateship or on a balcony."

"I don't sulk." Sheppard replied, stepping around the board that kept him hidden. The Administrator hated him, mostly because of his gene. The Stargate Committee wanted him as the Administrator Liaison in the Pegasus Galaxy, making him her peer. But as a soldier and a pilot, he refused the position, choosing to mix with the lower groups. John knew Elizabeth liked the power, but she didn't like her situation.

"It's true. Well, today, anyway." Mer raised a hand to stop the protest from his sister. "The thing is, this was – Ow!" He rounded his eyes at his sister who kicked him. "As I was saying, this effort will only be possible if you give the green light. The bridge will need constant monitoring, and to do that, we need the commander here to activate consoles as we need them. And we need to act fast."

Weir's dagger-like eyes pinned Sheppard. What he saw in these lowlings was beyond her. The man was barely smart enough to power a gateship, let alone comprehend what these scientists were doing. She waved her hand disdainfully. "Fine. But if he is required elsewhere, find yourselves another light switch." Strolling out of the lab, she summoned her personal guard. "Keep an eye on your idiot commander. If he leaves, notify me."

John Sheppard would not undermine her authority this time.

oOo

"Rodney! You almost got John in trouble!" Jeannie smacked her brother on the arm.

"Sorry! Sorry! But it's fine now." Turning his attention to the matter bridge chamber, Mer tapped his chin in thought. "Well, Commander. You're on."

Grinning his lopsided grin, Sheppard slipped his thin body around the maze of numbers and erasers. Touching a console, he consulted with The City. "Atlantis says we can set up a field in the lower levels. The Old Ones had built a chamber for harvesting the geothermal energy here, but it remains unfinished. Only problem is, it's under water. A gateship would better access it."

"Let's get to work."

oOo

Two hours later, they reached the chamber, which looked more like a platform, due to damage.

Mer and Jeannie recruited other scientists to aid in the project. One of the administrator's guard was always nearby; John felt she was looking over his shoulder at all times.

John unstrapped a large storage cooler. "Who's hungry?" He tossed food packages around the room.

With a sandwich in his right hand, and a tablet in his left, the commander became a theoretical physicist for a day. Jeannie came to him twice with a kiss and a cup of coffee. He synched the tablet with Mer's and Atlantis' mainframe. They worked in tandem, hoping for a quicker solution.

Returning to The City, the rag-tag team of brains entered Lab 12 with a renewed zeal.

This would work. This had to work.

oOo

Exactly two hours, fourteen minutes later, Mer McKay knew it wouldn't work.

"What are we going to do? If we thought Weir was mean now, just wait until she hears this," Jeannie said quietly.

"But we can't keep this open. The field is fluctuating too much."

John came forward studying the monitors. "They're trying to shut it down on their end."

"Yes," Mer replied. "They may be trying to overwhelm the bridge so it collapses."

"That's not good."

"What's not good?" Weir sauntered into the lab, brow already raised.

McKay stepped forward. He was First Scientist after all, and if anyone could fix this it was him. "The other reality is having trouble maintaining the bridge. They may be trying to shut it down."

"Well, you can't let that happen, McKay. I want this matter resolved. Find a way to keep that bridge open. You have one hour." Turning on her heel, Weir left the lab.

"I can't believe the GA made her our leader. Spoiled brat maybe, but not leader." Jeannie glanced at her brother. "We have to find a way to make this work, Rodney."

John saw the gears turning in the scientist's head. "Maybe this won't work now, but we can use this knowledge for the next time, right?"

"Yes, of course. The heat that's been generated to this point has been stored. Zelenka is converting the energy now." Mer paced the length of the containment chamber in front of him. "We'll keep her happy with some heat for a while. That should keep her off our backs while we come up with another solution."

John placed his hands on his friend's shoulders, turning Mer to face him. John drew him into an embrace. "This bridge was risky, and way too dangerous anyway." Leaning back, he looked the shorter man in the eye. "Atlantis and I have been working on a way to fly again."

"John, you know the structure is too weak for travel. We –"

The commander shook his head, releasing Mer from his hands. "No, Meredith. We have a plan and a planet."

"When – how –? Never mind. Let's talk about this later."

With a whine and a groan, the containment field shut down. The other reality had succeeded in collapsing the bridge.

"Well, boys and girls," Mer announced, crossing his arms. "That's it. The bridge has been deactivated, and we have a lot of information to sift through. Sheppard," he said, pointing towards the ceiling.

"Run interference with Weir? Copy, that, Rodney." The commander marched away, giving Jeannie a quick kiss before leaving the room.

"I really wish he'd stop calling me that."

Jeannie squeezed his hand. "But that's your name, big brother." She pointed to a whiteboard. "John left this for you."

Glancing at the scribbles, Mer began to recognize the words of the Old Ones. "He knows I hate translating. That's a soft science." Then the meaning of the words began to shape. "My gods! He does have a plan!"

oOo

Placing his fingertips on the wall, John trailed warmth along the corridor. Together, they would make this city shine again, spirals shadowed against bright and warm sunlight. Elizabeth Weir was going to have to realize – no, made to see – what was in store for them. The future starts now, John thought triumphantly.

Together, they would fly.

oOo

end.


End file.
